Tenure Issue Splits Two Bergen Towns

ORADELL THIS affluent and conservative Bergen County borough and neighboring River Edge have been split by a growing controversy involving the granting of tenure for the superintendent of the River Dell Regional School District, which serves students from both towns.

At the center of the dispute is Dr. Ronald J. Perry, who has held the post of superintendent for two and a half years. Dr. Perry, a stormy and controversial figure both here and in a previous post at Pascack Valley Regional, serving Hillsdale and Montvale, was scheduled to receive early tenure from the Board of Education until he acknowledged publicly that he had twice been “taken into custody for a minor incident” — which, it developed, amounted to two arrests for shoplifting.

Since the admission by Dr. Perry, the reported 5‐to‐4 vote in favor of early tenure has eroded, according to people close to the board, and the superintendent's future is decidely uncertain. All signs point to three of the Perry supporters remaining steadfast, with George Sutton, a newcomer to the board, expected to vote with the majority and Dr. Henri Rosano, a professor at City “University of New York, generally conceded to have the swing vote.

After his public statement, Dr. Perry Attributed the incidents—one involving less than $3 worth of merchandise in Hampton, Va., in 1963, and the other a pair of sneakers from a store in Hackensack in April 1973—to psychological troubles stemming from family troubles. The first incident occurred shortly after‐ his first marriage ended in divorce following the birth of a handicapped child.

According to the 49‐year‐old school superintendent, psychological counseling pointed out that he was feeling guilty and that shoplifting was a form of self‐punishment for his family problems. In making his disclosure, Dr. Perry said: “Judge me on my work as superintendent. My work speaks for itself.”

Lloyd Elliot, a delicatessen owner and former policeman in Oradell, who is the president of the Board of Education, tends to go along with that philosophy. “The arrests are not an issue in granting early tenure,” Mr. Elliot said.

Even the teachers at River Dell, who have been at loggerheads with Dr. Perry almost from the day of his ap, pointment, agree. The teachers, who presented the board with a 117‐to‐7 no confidence vote on the superintendent before Dr. Perry's disclosures, generally expressed sympathy for Dr. Perry's personal problems, but held to their conviction that he is ineffective as an administrator.

Members of the community also have resented some of Dr. Perry's methods, which have been described as “authoritative.” Ruby Salzman of River Edge collected 1,040 signatures on a petition urging that the board refuse early tenure for Dr. Perry, contending that he had not provided proper guidance.

Since about 1,000 to 1,200 people usually vote in school‐board elections, the petitions could give the board pause. The vote is scheduled for March.

Last year, the teachers of River Dell went on strike for two'weeks. Officials of the River Dell Education Association, the teachers’ union, contend that there would not have been a strike if Dr. Perry had not been the superintendent.

“In the 15 years that the school system has been in existence, there had never been, before Di. Perry arrived, a grievance case that went beyond the superintendent for settlement,” said Eugene Peplinsky, who was the president of the union at the time of the strike. “Since he has been superintendent, however, 30 cases have gone before the board and eight cases have gone to arbitration, the teachers winning seven.”

Dr. Perry disputes the numbers. He said that of 16 grievances arising out of the strike, 12 were settled by him. Of five cases that went to arbitration, according to Dr. Perry's count, “two involved situations that existed before I came here.” The board won two cases, Dr. Perry said, “and $150,000 was saved as a‐result.”

Dr. Perry and his adherents contend that the struggle really involves a different philosophy between the union and the superintendent on who should control public education. He said: “I believe the public should control public education and the River Dell Education Association feels the teachers should control the schools.”

Mr. Hamberg, the union president, regards this as an oversimplification.

“To say that the union wants full control of the schools is the wrong idea,” he said. “There has to be input from the public; in terms of what the public wants in terms of education, the board should listen to the people. In educational matters, the board should listen to the professional staff, and in a classroom situation, the teachers should be consulted.”

Dr. Roseno, who has expressed great sympathy for Dr. Perry, refuses to indicate which way he ‐will vote. In commenting on the case, he said: “In my opinion, it is not‐too late for Dr. Perry and the Board of Education to find a way out of this situation for the best of everybody concerned,” ■

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A version of this archives appears in print on January 30, 1977, on Page NJ8 of the New York edition with the headline: Tenure Issue Splits Two Bergen Towns. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe